Piskota Bracelet - Capri Blue & Bronze

PISKOTA BRACELET

• 15/0 seed beads Miyuki "Dark Bronze" (457)
• 11/0 seed beads Miyuki "Dark Bronze" (457)
• 8/0 seed beads Miyuki "Dark Bronze" (457)
• 6mm fire polished beads "Stone Copper Picasso Capri Blue"
• 3mm druks "Siam Ruby Bronze Picasso"
• 4mm druks "Montana Blue Picasso"

I bought this "Pink Piskota" bracelet pattern quite some time ago from AsszaJewelrymania on Etsy and finally had a chance to try making one myself. You can buy the pattern HERE. If you recall, Teejay sent me a couple of these bracelets for Christmas back in 2015 and I blogged about them HERE and HERE. I love both bracelets but I especially like the look of the one that she made with 6mm fire polished beads so that's what I used in today's bracelet. The ones that I used are a wonderful blue color with etched copper "grunge" all over them. I got them from Supply Emporium and you'll find them HERE. They don't really look like the photos there which look like they're covered with silver tarnish. They actually look more like the photo below but the metallic bits are more coppery than gold:

I bought the Montana druks in a local bead shop and haven't seen this color anywhere else. I think you can still find the 3mm druks that I used though. I see that ArtBeads has them HERE and Simply Beads has them HERE.

Teejay changed the connector motifs between the main motifs on the two bracelets that she made for me. I also used a different connector than the one in the pattern instructions and I also changed the way that I attached my clasp. Other than those changes, I made the pattern according to the instructions. While this isn't a difficult pattern to make, it is somewhat complex and there are very few written instructions. However, the diagrams are very clear and easy to understand.

Before making today's bracelet, I made several colorway samples. I'm not sure yet if I will make bracelets in the three colorways above and I thought you might like to see them. The motif connectors on the top left and bottom samples were made as directed by the pattern.

TOP LEFT SAMPLE:

• 15/0 seed beads Miyuki "Duracoat Pewter" (4222)
• 11/0 seed beads Miyuki "Duracoat Pewter" (4222)
• 8/0 seed beads Miyuki "Duracoat Pewter" (4222)
• 6mm fire polished beads "Stone Amethyst Luster"
• 3mm druks "Metallic Amethyst Matte Luster"
• 4mm druks "Amethyst Matte"

TOP RIGHT SAMPLE:

• 15/0 seed beads Miyuki "Metallic Chocolate" (461)
• 11/0 seed beads Miyuki "Metallic Chocolate" (461)
• 8/0 seed beads Miyuki "Metallic Chocolate" (461)
• 6mm fire polished beads "Milky Peridot/Purple Stone Patina"
• 3mm druks "Metallic Suede Pink"
• 4mm druks "Polychrome Copper Ombre"

BOTTOM SAMPLE:

• 15/0 seed beads Miyuki "Dark Bronze" (457)
• 11/0 seed beads Miyuki "Dark Bronze" (457)
• 8/0 seed beads Miyuki "Dark Bronze" (457)
• 6mm fire polished beads "Matte Turquoise Copper"
• 3mm druks "Matte Oxidized Bronze Clay"
• 4mm druks "Matte Oxidized Bronze Clay"

 

Mystery SuperDuo Bracelet - Lila Gold Luster Mix

MYSTERY SUPERDUO BRACELET

• 11/0 Miyuki Union seed beads "Opaque Lila Gold Luster" (15695)
• 8/0 Miyuki Union seed beads "Opaque Lila Gold Luster" (15695)
• SuperDuo beads "Crystal Violet Luster"
• SuperDuo beads "Chalk Senegal" aka "Opaque Smoky Topaz Gold Luster"
• SuperDuo beads "Polychrome Copper Rose"
• SuperDuo beads "Lustre Gold"

I'm having so much fun trying SuperDuo mixes with this pattern. This is another mixture that I came up with and it has four colors this time. I made the two-row version of the bracelet so that I could use a magnetic clasp instead of a leather slide clasp.

Once again I used some beads that you probably won't be able to find. The SuperDuos should all be readily available but not the seed beads. They're Miyuki Union beads and I bought them from an Italian Etsy shop a few years ago. Having said that, I discovered while searching online for this color that Toho makes this color or a similar one. I found the 8/0 size in two places but I only found one site that has 11/0 and the color in their photo looks all wrong. I will post the links but you'll be taking a risk if you order the 11/0 beads. The photo on the same site for the 8/0s looks like the right color. I just remembered that I bought some of the Toho 8/0s in that color a few years ago. I compared them to the Miyuki color and they're close but not quite the same. They are a little more pinkish than purple like the Miyuki beads. It's hard to say but they might still work alright with the other beads that I used.

11/0 Toho Hybrid Luster Gold Smoky Topaz (Y185) - Simply Beads

8/0 Toho Hybrid Luster Gold Smoky Topaz (Y185) - Simply Beads

8/0 Hybrid Luster Opaque Gold Smoky Topaz (Y185) - Tamara Scott Designs

I also found some 11/0 Miyuki beads called "White Opaque Lila Gold Luster" (15695) HERE at Charlene's Beads but the color doesn't look right in the photo. It could just be bad lighting though. Unfortunately, she doesn't have them in 8/0.

Aura Crystals also has the 11/0s HERE but no 8/0s.

The free tutorial for Pascale G-Mikovic's "Mystery SuperDuo Bracelet" is HERE on my blog.

 

Mystery SuperDuo Bracelet Set - Chalk Lazure Blue, Jet & Gold

MYSTERY SUPERDUO BRACELET

• 11/0 seed beads Toho "Jet Bronze Picasso" (Y506)
• 8/0 Miyuki Union seed beads "Opaque White Blue Luster" (65431P)
• SuperDuo beads "Bronze Gold"
• SuperDuo beads "Chalk Lazure Blue" aka "Opaque Green Luster"
• SuperDuo beads "Jet Picasso"

After making two "Mystery" bracelets using SuperDuo mixes from Supply Emporium, I decided to make one more using my own bead mix. My mix has only three colors in it: "Jet Picasso", "Gold Bronze" and "Chalk Lazure Blue" (this color also goes by various other names). Unfortunately, I used some beads that are no longer available but you can make some substitutions and get results similar to my colorway.

Toho no longer makes the "Jet Bronze Picasso" seed beads that I used. Instead you can use either Toho "Jet Picasso" (Y302) or Miyuki "Smoky Black Picasso" (4511). They will look similar but won't have the hint of metallic bronze. In any case, they will be the same color as the "Jet Picasso" SuperDuos. You can buy the 11/0 Toho beads HERE at Supply Emporium or the 11/0 Miyuki beads HERE. If you want to get some "Jet Picasso" 8/0 seed beads for making the matching earrings like mine, Claire has those HERE.

Although the Miyuki Union beads are becoming more widely available, for some reason the 8/0 beads in "Opaque White Blue Luster" (65431P) are pretty scarce. I bought mine from Italy several years ago. Toho has 8/0 beads in a similar color but they are more yellowish green and don't match well with Chalk Lazure Blue. If you don't mind going a little more green than blue, Supply Emporium has Toho 8/0 "Stone Green" (Y182) aka "Hybrid Opaque Green Luster" seed beads HERE and some SuperDuos called "Opaque Ultra Green Luster" HERE that will go pretty well with those seed beads. Another option would be to use 8/0 Miyuki "Dark Bronze" (457) seed beads instead of the blue/green ones, Claire has those HERE. She also has Toho 8/0 "Antique Bronze" (223) seed beads HERE. Either color will go well enough with bronze SuperDuos.
 
UPDATE 1/18/19: Supply Emporium has the 8/0 Miyuki Union "White Opaque Lazure Blue" beads in stock HERE.

The other problematic beads that I used are the "Bronze Gold" SuperDuos. I found them in an Etsy shop and have never seen that color again there or anywhere else. They are more of a yellowish gold color than the usual "Bronze" or "Crystal Gold Luster" SuperDuos. In fact, the main reason why I didn't use any metallic seed beads in this bracelet is because there aren't any metallic colors that match these gold SuperDuos. The best substitute would be "Crystal Gold Luster" SuperDuos. They will look just as nice and will only be a little darker bronze. You could also use the ones called "Bronze" but they would be even darker.

Aura Crystals has "Crystal Gold Luster" SuperDuos HERE. Red Panda has them HERE and they have opaque "Bronze" HERE. Note that the opaque bronze SuperDuos are more expensive. The "crystal" kind are cheaper because there is a metallic bronze coating over clear glass beads. When you hold them up to the light, you can see through them. They appear to be opaque when they're made into a bracelet because the light doesn't pass through them on your wrist.

If you are going to use bronze 8/0 seed beads, you can definitely use "Chalk Lazure Blue" SuperDuos like I did. Supply Emporium has them HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE. Some of them go by different names but they're all pretty much the same color.

Supply Emporium also has the "Jet Picasso" SuperDuos HERE and HERE.

The photo below shows how the slide clasp looks on my wrist. Claire made a custom leather slide clasp to fit my tiny wrist better. The leather tabs are short enough that some of the beadwork is able to wrap around to the back side of my wrist a little.

MANDALA EARRINGS

• 11/0 seed beads Toho "Jet Bronze Picasso" (Y506)
• 8/0 seed beads Toho "Jet Bronze Picasso" (Y506)
• SuperDuo beads "Bronze Gold"
• SuperDuo beads "Chalk Lazure Blue" aka "Chalk Green Luster"
• SuperDuo beads "Jet Picasso"

You'll find this free earring pattern HERE on the Matubo bead site. The pattern download link is in the fourth row up from the bottom of the page. The free tutorial for Pascale G-Mikovic's "Mystery SuperDuo Bracelet" is HERE on my blog.

If you would rather not have to shop the entire internet for these beads, Claire has created a SuperDuo mix that looks surprisingly similar to my colorway but with a more rustic, grungy touch. You'll find the Granite 2 bead mix HERE at Supply Emporium. Or, you can also buy THIS bead pack that includes everything you'll need to make the bracelet below except for the pattern and thread.

Athena Earrings - Amethyst Luster & Blue Opal

ATHENA EARRINGS

• 11/0 seed beads Toho "Gold Lustered Light Tanzanite" (325)
• 8/0 seed beads Toho "Gold Lustered Light Tanzanite" (325)
• 4mm druks "Opaque Gold Amethyst Luster"
• SuperDuo beads "Opaque Gold Amethyst Luster"
• SuperDuo beads "Silk Blue Opal"

I wanted to make a pair of earrings to go with one of my tops that has a lot of colors on it. Although I have beads in some of the other colors, these were the only two that went well enough with each other. These were very quick and easy to make using Deb Roberti's "Athena Earrings" pattern which you can buy HERE at Around the Beading Table. You can also buy the pattern HERE in her Etsy shop. The pattern also includes instructions for making a matching bracelet. I left off the extra bit at the top of the earrings and added an 8/0 seed bead for attaching the jump rings.

UPDATE: Deb just informed me this morning that her website, Around the Beading Table, will be down for a few days while she moves it to a new hosting site. In the meantime, many of her patterns are available HERE in her Etsy shop. If you are looking for one of her free patterns, just keep checking back in a few days to see if her website is back online. The URL will remain the same.

 

Mystery SuperDuo Bracelet Set - Dragon Mix

MYSTERY SUPERDUO BRACELET

• 11/0 seed beads Miyuki "Duracoat Pewter" (4222)
• 8/0 seed beads Miyuki "Duracoat Pewter" (4222)
• SuperDuo beads "Dragon Mix" (Supply Emporium)

I made this set several days ago but had to wait for some sunshine so that I could take these photos. This is the bracelet that I showed you without the clasp HERE the Sunday before Christmas. Claire sent me a blue leather slide clasp, which is the same one that comes with the bead pack that she sells HERE at Supply Emporium to make a bracelet almost like this. The difference is that the bead pack bracelet has red Picasso 8/0 seed beads instead of the 8/0 pewter beads that I used.

The photo above shows how the slide clasp looks on my wrist.

BIG SUPERDUO MANDALA EARRINGS

• 11/0 seed beads Miyuki "Duracoat Pewter" (4222)
• 8/0 seed beads Miyuki "Duracoat Pewter" (4222)
• SuperDuo beads "Dragon Mix" (Supply Emporium)

If you buy the bead pack, you should have enough of the SuperDuos left to make these "Big SuperDuo Mandala Earrings". I think this earring design is perfect for this bracelet because there are enough SuperDuos in it to use some of every color in the Dragon mix. Note that I left off the dangles at the bottom and the chains at the top of my earrings. You can download the free earring pattern HERE on the Matubo bead site.

The free tutorial for Pascale G-Mikovic's "Mystery SuperDuo Bracelet" is HERE on my blog.

Mystery SuperDuo Bracelet - Dragon Mix

MYSTERY SUPERDUO BRACELET

• 11/0 seed beads Miyuki "Duracoat Pewter" (4222)
• 8/0 seed beads Miyuki "Duracoat Pewter" (4222)
• SuperDuo beads "Dragon Mix" (Supply Emporium)

I don't have a clasp for this bracelet yet but I wanted to show you this new "Mystery SuperDuo Bracelet" colorway. This is the "Dragon" mix of SuperDuos from Supply Emporium. There isn't a bracelet bead pack yet for this color scheme but Claire will be listing one soon but with different color seed beads than I used.
 
UPDATE: Claire just listed the bead pack for this bracelet and you can buy it HERE. Her version of the bracelet features red Picasso seed beads down the center and a blue leather slide clasp.

In the meantime you can buy the Dragon bead mix HERE. This mixture has more glossy and metallic beads in it than the matte "Rembrandt" mix that I blogged about the other day so I went with metallic pewter seed beads. Although there are a few other colors in the mix, the over all appearance seems to be ivory, jet (or a very dark navy blue), red and a dark golden yellow. It's a very pretty and elegant color scheme. By the way, I draped the un-clasped bracelet over my wrist to take the photo above.

The free tutorial for Pascale G-Mikovic's "Mystery SuperDuo Bracelet" is HERE on my blog.

In the photo below, you can more clearly see how the clasp loops are added on the ends. They exit and enter the inner holes of the SuperDuos and are secured by weaving around the adjacent beadwork.

 

Bethany Earrings - Rembrandt Mix Set

BETHANY EARRINGS

• 11/0 seed beads Miyuki "Montana Matte Dark Teal Picasso" (4516)
• 8/0 seed beads Miyuki "Montana Matte Dark Teal Picasso" (4516)
• SuperDuo beads "Rembrandt Mix" (Supply Emporium)

Yesterday I blogged HERE about the "Mystery SuperDuo Bracelet" below that I'd made with a bead pack from Supply Emporium. After seeing how cute it turned out I decided that I really needed some earrings to go with the bracelet. I went with the "Bethany Earrings" because they show off the Rembrandt mix of beads the best. You'll find a link to download my free earring pattern HERE. I should warn you that it's a little tricky making these earrings with "one" bead color vs two colors because it's easy to lose track of where you are in the beadwork. I had to make one of these earrings over again because I'd messed up. 

Don't forget to use the coupon code CRAFTY15 on your purchase of over $30 to get 15% off at Supply Emporium.